Project description:Birds of the congenic inbred chicken line UCD Cleft primary palate (UCD cpp.003) carry an autosomal recessive mutation observed as a lethal developmental defect in affected homozygous mutant progeny. This mutation was mapped to a 4.9 Mb region of chromosome 11, and which is sequenced in this project in several individuals of the UCD cpp.003 line with the aim of assessing variation linked to the mutation, and ultimately determining the causative element.
Project description:The overall goal of this project is to investigate the role of TGF-beta signaling in palate development in order to discover candidate therapeutics for preventing and treating congenital birth defects. Here, we conducted gene expression profiling of embryonic palatal tissue from wild type mice as well as those with a neural crest specific conditional inactivation of the Tgfbr2 gene. The latter mice provide a model of cleft palate formation. To investigate the mechanism of cleft palate resulting from mutations in TGFBR2, we analyzed neural crest specific conditional inactivation of Tgfbr2 in mice (Tgfbr2fl/fl;Wnt1-Cre). We performed microarray analyses using the palatal tissue of Tgfbr2fl/fl;Wnt1-Cre mice at embryonic day E13.5 (prior to palatal fusion, n=6 per genotype) and E14.5 (during palatal fusion, n=5 per genotype) to examine the genes regulated by Tgf-beta during palate formation.
Project description:Tamoxifen (TAM), a widely-used drug in treating breast cancer, has been reported to be associated with craniofacial defects including micrognathia and cleft palate in humans. However, the exact effects of TAM on the developing palate remain unclear. In the present study, we conclude that excess TAM exposure causes cleft palate defect in mice by regulating MAPK pathways, which implicates the importance of tightly regulated MAPK signaling in palate development and provides a basis for further exploration of the molecular etiology of cleft palate defects caused by environmental factors.
Project description:The abnormal perturbation in gene regulation during palatogenesis may lead to cleft palate. Here, we performed single-cell multiome sequencing (snRNA-seq and snATAC-seq simuteneously from same cells) from mouse secondary palate across 4 developmental stages.
Project description:Perturbations in gene regulation during palatogenesis can lead to cleft palate, which is among the most common congenital birth defects. However, currently there is no comprehensive multiomics map of the developing secondary palate. Here, we perform single-cell multiome sequencing and profile chromatin accessibility and gene expression simultaneously within the same cells (n = 36,154) isolated from mouse secondary palate across embryonic days (E) 12.5, E13.5, E14.0, and E14.5. We construct five trajectories representing continuous differentiation of cranial neural crest-derived multipotent cells into distinct lineages. By linking open chromatin signals to gene expression changes, we characterize the underlying lineage-determining transcription factors. In silico perturbation analysis identifies transcription factors SHOX2 and MEOX2 as important regulators of the development of the anterior and posterior palate, respectively. In conclusion, our study chart epigenetic and transcriptional dynamics in palatogenesis, serving as a valuable resource for further cleft palate research.
Project description:Cleft palate is a common congenital anomaly with a live birth prevalence estimated to be 1:2500 live births, that results from failure of growth, elevation, adhesion and/or fusion of the palatal shelves during embryogenesis. Mutations in the gene encoding the transcription factor p63 result in cleft palate in humans and mice. To study the roles of P63 in periderm migration and medial edge epithelia in mice sub-mucous cleft palate, ÎNp63alpha was ectopically expressed in the palatal epithelia using a transgenic approach.
Project description:The overall goal of this project is to investigate the role of TGF-beta signaling in palate development in order to discover candidate therapeutics for preventing and treating congenital birth defects. Here, we conducted gene expression profiling of embryonic palatal tissue from wild type mice as well as those with a neural crest specific conditional inactivation of the Tgfbr2 gene. The latter mice provide a model of cleft palate formation.
Project description:Cleft palate is among the most common structural birth defects in humans. Previous studies have shown that mutations in FOXF2 are associated with cleft palate in humans and mice and that Foxf2 acts in a Shh-Foxf-Fgf18-Shh molecular network controlling palatal shelf growth. In this study, we generated mice carrying 3xFLAG epitope-tagged endogenous Foxf2 protein using the CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing technology and characterized genome-wide Foxf2 binding sites in the developing palatal shelves using chromatin immunoprecipitation and genome sequencing (ChIP-seq). By combined analysis of ChIP-seq and RNA-seq datasets we identified a large list of Foxf2 target genes. Further analyses demonstrate that Foxf2 directly regulate expression of several genes encoding ECM or ECM modifiers during palate development. Moreover, our ChIP-seq and RNA-seq datasets provide an excellent resource for comprehensive understanding of the molecular network controlling palate development.
Project description:The identification of the genetic risk factors in patients with isolated cleft palate by whole genome sequencing analysis. Pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants were discovered in genes associated with CP (TBX22, COL2A1, FBN1, PCGF2, and KMT2D) in five patients; hence, rare disease variants were identified in 17% of patients with non-syndromic isolated CP. Our results are relevant to routine genetic counselling practice and genetic testing recommendations.